The Pennyworth Games
by She's From Ouran
Summary: When Leafos is finally old enough to start competing her pinata in the Pennyworth games, something goes horribly wrong with the judging, landing barkbarks the guarantee to have a worth less than a penny. What will she have to do to come back and take the win?
1. Chapter 1

**The Pennyworth Games**

**Chapter 1: Only the Beginning**

Every year, Pinata Island would hold a large competition. It was called the Pennyworth Games. There would be races, tricks, shows. However, it was much more important than any event on Pinata Island. The winner at the end would be declared a million-dollar pinata, the rest becoming Pennyworth.

This year, Leafos was old enough to compete for herself. She wracked her brain until it hurt. She just couldn't think of the pinata she should use! She checked out the sign-up sheets. Almost everyone was using syrupents. That's what would make her different. She really loved barkbarks, and that was exactly what she'd enter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the twenty-first annual Pennyworth Games! Let's meet our judges!"

"Hello," Storkos, judge number one began, "I am Storkos. You know those little baby pinata eggs? I deliver them!"

Judge number two, Seedos, said, "My name is Seedos. I go around the gardens and give you seeds."

The last judge being Dastardos, he didn't have much to say but he kills sick pinatas.

"The first event is... racing! For the first race, we have the syrupent Pancake, the other syrupent Munchie, and the barkbark Bones!"

Leafos sighed. She really didn't want to be in a race against two snakes... even one was too much. However, she took her spot in the very front, while Bones stood at the starting line. Leafos leaned in, whispering in his ear, "Just get to the finish line first."

First. Bones heard that word a lot of times. Meaning, beat everyone (and every pinata) there is in sight. Meaning, show Leafos how proud and strong and brave you are, even if it means running with four broken legs. Mostly meaning, don't let anyone steal your pride. Bones snuffed in an agreeing way, growling at his slithering competitors. _Three, two, one. Go, Bones!_

Leafos cheered loudly, getting nasty looks from the crowd. Bones would hurdle the rocks, she'd "woo hoo" to herself, and the crowd would shush her. Bones would pull ahead of Munchie and Pancake, and she'd hear others sigh as the incredible dog pushed himself across the finish line almost five seconds before the others. People in the crowd erupted with boo's while Leafos ran over to the judge's table, accepting the blue ribbon.

After all of the racing was over, Leafos sat down in the winners' circle (the people with the highest scores would compete together. Second place would sit in the middle circle, and last place in the last circle). She would be competing in the talent portion against her friend's syrupent, Gelatin, Lottie's two-headed syrupent, Whisper, and a white flutterscotch named Butter. She sighed to herself when she realized she had tougher competition, seeing as how the pinatas were dressed in better outfits than her. However, she would try to hold onto her first-place reign as long as she could.

"Alright, people. This is when the competition gets serious. The five people with the lowest scores will get eliminated after every event. When there are ten people left, we'll start eliminating two at a time. Here's the deal, though. You won't drop from the winners' circle all the way to the last circle in one event. You will drop from the winners' circle to the middle circle, and if you fail to bring your scores up, down to the last circle. So, right now we have fifty people. We'll need to eliminate the syrupent Munchie, the syrupent Slither, the kittyfloss Mouse, the mousemallow Kitty, and the bunnycomb Honey. The rest of you, follow our directors to the auditorium. Thank you!"

Leafos and Bones started off down the hallway, following the guide. They took their seats in the auditorium, getting weird glances from about everyone who owned a pet syrupent in the whole competition. She crossed one leg over the other awkwardly as she saw from the corner of her eye Lottie and her strange two-headed syrupent glaring at her.

"Alright, everyone! Why don't we get started then? First up, will everyone from the winners' circle take the stage, please!" Bones followed Leafos up the narrow steps and onto the stage, along with all of the other trainers and pinatas. "First up, Lottie's two-headed syrupent, Mystery!"

Leafos and the others were shooed off to the side of the stage to watch Lottie's pinata. They were very great, forming a jumprope, in which Lottie felt the need to jump, falling flat on her face. Leafos held back a laugh as Lottie's mask cracked. She got up, brushed the imaginary dust off of her costume, and walked off the stage.

"Alright. That was Lottie and her pinata Whisper! Next up, Nalla and her syrupent, Gelatin!"

Nalla took the stage, grabbed Gelatin by his rear, and used him as a whip. That went on for about four minutes until the judges asked her politely to leave the stage.

"Next up, we have Jessie and her white flutterscotch, Butter!" Jessie stepped on shyly and moved her arm in a large circle, and Butter followed. She made a figure eight, Butter following closely. She opened her legs and Butter flew through. She made a real dramatic bow, leaving Leafos confident she would win.

After announced, Leafos and Bones walked into the middle of the stage. To everyone's surprise, Leafos backed off the stage and played the tape that Bones had practiced a doggie tumbling routine to. As soon as the music began, he ran the length of the stage and flipped himself. The crowd cheered and Leafos smiled. Probably the only positive feedback she had gotten all day.

A few flips, rolls, prances, and bows later, Leafos was safely in the winners' circle for another round. In fact, she had landed in first place with a perfect twenty points. The next highest score being Lottie with fourteen, she was not worried about a thing.

"We're going to have to eliminate some more pinatas... Sad, I know! We'll be down to only forty pinatas, making the competition harder and harder to stay in. We'll have to eliminate the pretztail Pretzel, the syrupent Syrup, the syrupent Pancake, the mousemallow S'mores, and the kittyfloss Toothbrush. The rest of you will be showing off your pinata's best tricks. Each trick is worth five points, making this round worth fifteen points! Good luck!"

Leafos ended up going first (she was, after all, in first place) and got no cheers whatsoever. She stuck her arm straight down, pointed her finger, and made a circle. The barkbark knew the trick and did a barrel roll, making the judges "ooh" and "ahh". Leafos only prepared for the next trick. She got on her hands and knees and patted the ground. Bones stood on his hind legs. Leafos took out a finger gun, flinched, and Bones fell down. She got up and opened up her legs. Bones jumped off the ground and figure-eighted through her legs. She smiled when she realized she had done a great job.

All of the other tricks were either too boring or too stupid. Leafos had the victory in the bag. It was when Lottie's pet got first place for doing nothing but disobeying her that she was starting to get suspicious. She still got second, and she was still in the top three, but she wanted it all. She wanted to show all the mindless people in the competition syrupents were not the only pinatas with talent.

Leafos suspiciously popped up behind Lottie. "So!" she startled the older woman. "I didn't know the judges were looking for disobeying animals."

"Oh, you know," Lottie's lip quivered, "every judge has its likings."

"Yeah. So, which judge is liking your bribery?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Judging Panel**

"Why would you accept bribes?" Seedos questioned.

"I need a new egg pouch," Storkos replied. "They don't pay us to do this, in case you forgot."

"No, I didn't forget. It's because we volunteered. Volunteers don't get paid."

"Whatever. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES! Someone gives me money just to give them a high score, I'll take that opportunity. And if you go "tattling" to the host, I'll make sure your precious seeds all end up in my house, cracked open. The seed shells are really great for pinata eggs, you know!"

"NO! I won't tell."

"Great!"

The auditorium doors opened wide, welcoming all of the contestants. Seedos kept reviewing the conversation in his head, cursing himself for letting Storkos get away with this. All of the time Dastardos just sat there like the oaf he was.

First on the stage for the show portion was Leafos. She showed off her barkbark beautifully, making Seedos nervous. _She really deserves to win, _he thought. _She'd never forgive me if I told her._

Lottie rolled her eyes as Leafos gave a quick bow and left the stage. Seedos clapped loudly over everyone else. He wrote down his scores: _Breed: Barkbark, Clothing: 10, Looks: 10. _He took a peek at Storkos' scores for Leafos, which he was surprised to see perfect tens. He tilted his head a little more and saw Dastardos with an eight and a nine. Fine by him, as long as he doesn't give Lottie a higher score. Judging by her scores right now, if she lost the next competition with eight or less points in each catergory, she would be in fifth place.

As Lottie waltzed onto the stage, dragging her pet, Seedos gasped to see the poor animal bawling. Soon enough it would turn black and white, making it impossible for Lottie to win, let alone get a prize. She tried prying its mouth open to show its rather pointy teeth, and it snapped onto her glove, shaking it violently.

Seedos, very upset with her pet's condition, gave her a total score of five. Even if the poor animal had a nice tuxedo on, torturing the pet is included in deduction. Storkos, also surprised with the performance, hid the money under the table and gave her a two and a three. "Stupid animal!" Lottie yelled as her snake(s) grabbed hold of her hat. The crowd gasped and Lottie was dragged off of the stage by security.

Seedos snickered as Lottie struggled against the guards. She managed to rip one hand away before she was too far from the stage and grabbed her pet. It bit her wrist and the color began to fade away until it was completely black and white. Leafos rushed onto the stage and whistled to the animal, which followed her voice. She led it offstage and it slithered away.

"Now that that's over," Seedos whispered, "are you going to give back the money?"

"She can't yell at me; she got herself disqualified."

"Yup," Seedos said abnormally, "all by herself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing."

"C'mon, Seedos, what are you hiding?"

"What if Lottie told me to give her animals some Snapdragon seeds before we started because it calmed them down?"

"You did not."

Seedos tossed the seeds in front of him and caught them with his left hand. "Letting her win wasn't worth any of my seeds."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Stolen Pinata**

Leafos searched the bleachers and the curtains. Still no pinata. She was on next, for the final competition! She was in fifth place, and she would need a LOT of help to get to first. She couldn't believe she was thinking this, but she would have to cheat.

Wait, WHAT did she just tell herself?

She could never cheat! Even if her life depended on it, she wouldn't ever cheat.

That was the exact opposite of her personality. She'd just have to... forfeit.

How embarrassing would that be? Not as embarrassing as telling everyone you lost your pinata.

Little did Leafos know her pet was right under her nose. Literally. One of the contestants was planning on sabotaging the whole competition by locking everyone's pet in the cellar. She wanted revenge. Many, many times she tried to win. Only once did she place in the top five. She was not going to let her pet become a worthless animal. Not again.

Leafos began searching the concessions. Nothing. She wondered how many people would think she was bribing Seedos if she asked for his help. Not very many, she hoped. She began to walk over to the judges table. "Seedos!" she whispered.

"What? I'm judging," Seedos replied.

"I need your help."

"Sorry, I'm not accepting bribes."

"Not with that! I can't find Bones."

Seedos' face turned pale as he saw the trick going on on the stage; a syrupent was doing a trick, cracking a seed and sticking its tongue inside to eat the middle, spitting the shell into the crowd. He caught it and observed it. "Enough!" Leafos broke him out of his trance. "Will you help me find my pinata or not?"

"Well, it's really against the rules..." Seedos took out a big book called _The Rules of Pennyworth. _Leafos rolled her eyes as he flipped through the pages quickly. "I can only help during intermission."

"So, call an intermission! I'm up next and I don't even have a pinata!"

A few other contestants left the auditorium when they couldn't find their pinatas, either. The pets in the basement were getting sick from the intoxicating fumes, giving Dastardos the sudden urge to go and smash them open. Storkos held him back. "Where are they?" she asked.

"The basement."

Seedos told Leafos, who bolted to the basement. She grabbed her dog and ran back to the auditorium just in time to do her trick. Dastardos yelled, "Where's your dog?"

Leafos looked down, looking a kittyfloss in the eye. "Wait-how did you get here? I grabbed my own pinata," Leafos said.

"Well," Seedos again had the rule book out, "you can compete with any pinata, it says, as long as you do the same trick you had planned."

Leafos could barely stand. Her trick was the "Mighty Bark", that would send the crowd about three rows back. How could she do that with a cat? Oh, that's right, she couldn't.

Something distracted the cat. A large dog, very, very upset. It chased the kittyfloss off the stage and took a spot next to Leafos. "Bones!" she whispered. "Mighty bark! Now!"

Bones' bark blew the crowd away. They gave him a standing ovation and she squeezed him. "Great job, Bones."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 5: The Winner Is...**

****Leafos was surrounded by angry syrupents waiting for the announcement to be made. She just hoped she had made a good impression on the judges. She didn't think anyone else had read the rulebook, and therefore had no idea that they were still being judged. Misbehaving pinatas got marked down. Leafos was constantly feeding Bones apples, which he really seemed to like.

As Dastardos took the stage, getting ready to announce the winner, a syrupent went crazy and bit the strings hanging off of his cloak. The crowd laughed as he tugged the cloak off, sending Dastardos into blushes that were hidden behind his mask. He covered up his kittyfloss undergarments as best as he could while running offstage. Leafos chuckled a bit then straightened her face.

Storkos decided she could do the announcement by herself and took the stage. She used the envelope as defense against the attacking syrupents. "Well," she began, "now that that is hopefully over, we will announce the winner. You may check your judging sheets in the hall to see how you got your scores if you are not happy. We do not want a repeat of last year."

* * *

_Leafos walked to her mailbox outside of her garden and found something tied to the Langston Pinata Party invitation she got every year. It was some sort of origami note. She opened it up and found a news story about a rogue pinata being let loose at the Pennyworth Games of 2011. She gasped at the picture of her older sister trying to fight off several Roarios at one time with only an envelope. She read further, and it said she had to get fourteen stitches._

* * *

The envelope seemed to be opened in slow motion to Leafos. The rips and tears were too, how should she say it, "nice". When the envelope finally was open, everyone was shocked by the results. "The winner is..." *dramatic pause* "...Sandy and her syrupent Scales!"

Leafos felt like crying. Her own pet, her favorite pet, was worth nothing but a penny. Even then, she didn't own any syrupents (she avoided it by blocking them on her Ban Board). Now all of her pinatas, at least until next year, would be worth a penny! She knew she shouldn't have used her barkbark.

The line pushed out the door and Leafos picked up her score sheets. She had already read everything but the last competition, so she skipped everything else and read that.

_Seedos' Scoring_

_Trick: 9 1/2_

_Looks: 10_

_Judge's Comments: Very unfortunate you lost your animal! Pretty hard competing against a bunch of syrupents. Good luck!_

_Storkos' Scoring_

_Trick: 7.9_

_Looks: 9_

_Judge's Comments: I wish the best to you! Hopefully you win otherwise I'll be booked up at every garden delivering syrupent eggs!_

_Dastardos' Scoring_

_Trick:_

_Looks:_

_Judge's Comments:_

__"Wait!" Leafos exclaimed. "I didn't get judged by Dastardos!"

"Hold up everybody!" Storkos yelled over everyone. "Dastardos, what do you give Leafos?"

Dastardos yanked the paper from Leafos' hands and wrote down some numbers. "Oh," Seedos said, examining the paper. "This changes everything. Ladies and gentlemen, the real winner of the Pennyworth Games is Leafos and her barkbark, Bones!"


End file.
